Milan won Sunday's match courtesy of Stephan El Shaarawy's 15th league goal of the season, but Robinho had to settle for a place on the bench as Allegri started Niang alongside Pazzini and El Shaarawy in attack. Speaking to reporters after the game, the coach explained his selection.

"I don’t know if Robinho will still be here next season, so for the moment I am choosing M'Baye Niang because he gives me more guarantees," Allegri told reporters.

The Milan coach also praised his side's recent improvement, though, he believes they need to be more clinical when they create chances.

“The team is doing fairly well and this was a good victory in a difficult arena," he continued.

“Atalanta caused us a few problems, but we did well for over an hour and only ran a few risks at the end. We’re a little more organised in the middle and can move the ball better in attack, which means when we play quickly we can do damage.